How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Buddhist ethical conduct including the Five Precepts (Pañcasikkhāpada), and Eightfold Ethical Conduct (Aṭṭhasīla).
User avatar
Ben
Posts: 18438
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by Ben »

hermitwin wrote:insects are not pests.
Tell that to someone who has head lice.
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
a_human_being
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:03 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by a_human_being »

tiltbillings wrote:
a_human_being wrote:Thank you everyone for your replies.

You are right, there is no excuse for my behavior. I will do my best to in the future refrain from killing these bugs and instead put them in a container and take them outside or simply let them be.

I feel bad for having killed them but such is the law of karma and it is as it should be. All I can do is to try to be better in the future.

Thanks all for helping me. Much appreciated.
Just to be clear, if you do not inadvertently kill or damage them by trying to capture them, given their remarkably soft bodies, putting them outside is likely a death sentence.
*sigh*

I guess I will have to do some research about silverfish and then try to find out what place in a nature area would give them "best possible conditions", because I couldn't go release them on the street, they'd just go "visit" some other apartment - I'd be making it "someone else's problem", and they'd likely just get killed there. Releasing them in nature, although they probably won't make it, must be better than at least killing them? If I can't just sit and watch them multiply, what else can I do than to keep the place as clean as I can and take out and release them someplace?
daverupa
Posts: 5980
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by daverupa »

a_human_being wrote:If I can't just sit and watch them multiply, what else can I do than to keep the place as clean as I can and take out and release them someplace?
What is it, after these actions are taken, that yet gives rise to dissatisfaction?
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
a_human_being
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:03 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by a_human_being »

http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/inse ... anura.html:
Silverfish occur in a wide variety of habitats both natural and manmade. Native species are generally found living under the bark of trees, under rocks, in rotten logs and among leaf litter. Some species have been found to live exclusively in caves while others have been discovered inhabiting the nests of ants and termites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish:
They inhabit moist areas, requiring a relative humidity between 75% and 95%.
http://www.greenshieldpestcontrol.com/c ... silverfish:
Natural habitat of silverfish is hidden in leaf litter, under rocks and logs and in other natural crevices.
So it seems that I can release them in nature near a humid place with rocks, rotten logs and moist leafs.
a_human_being
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:03 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by a_human_being »

daverupa wrote:
a_human_being wrote:If I can't just sit and watch them multiply, what else can I do than to keep the place as clean as I can and take out and release them someplace?
What is it, after these actions are taken, that yet gives rise to dissatisfaction?
tiltbillings wrote "Just to be clear, if you do not inadvertently kill or damage them by trying to capture them, given their remarkably soft bodies, putting them outside is likely a death sentence."
daverupa
Posts: 5980
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by daverupa »

a_human_being wrote:
daverupa wrote:
a_human_being wrote:If I can't just sit and watch them multiply, what else can I do than to keep the place as clean as I can and take out and release them someplace?
What is it, after these actions are taken, that yet gives rise to dissatisfaction?
tiltbillings wrote "Just to be clear, if you do not inadvertently kill or damage them by trying to capture them, given their remarkably soft bodies, putting them outside is likely a death sentence."
Hmm, so it is with house spiders, and a number of other insects. In some cases they evolved specifically within the human domicile environment, while others opportunistically don't mind being there. A miniature ecosystem can happen which will balance itself around the nutriment sources - which cleaning constrains (and even though silverfish can survive for long periods without food, a cluster of spiders can pick up the slack; you are leaving house spiders alone I hope...).

So, why is it that "I can't just sit and watch" this natural drama? Are there others in the household who reject this approach?
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
a_human_being
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:03 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by a_human_being »

daverupa wrote: So, why is it that "I can't just sit and watch" this natural drama? Are there others in the household who reject this approach?
1) Yes my fiancee really does not like bugs and silverfish around the house.
2) I think (though I can ask the landlord) it is my responsibility as renter of the apartment to try to keep the apartment free from such insects, or minimize their numbers.
corrine
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 7:33 pm

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by corrine »

I do not like insects in my house. I do not want to kill any living thing. Therefor, years ago, I went on the internet to find a device that would help me deal with the issue without hurting the insect and without touching it. I currently use 'the insect relocation system', yes, that is its name, and it allows me to deal with the bugs without getting anywhere near their little bodies. I take them outside and find a safe place for them to live that is not in my home. Yes, this is an attitude of 'not in my house' but I cannot live with them and this is a good compromise. Years ago I tried just ignoring them and one of my cats died when she was bitten by a black widow spider. The vet says that happens a lot. Anyway, Amazon has a number of these devices, several different brands, at very reasonable prices. Mine is the long one because, yes, I am scared of some of these insects. There are devices that kill the insect but not the ones that I get. I know that I should change my attitude and welcome everyone and everything into my home, but in the meantime, I rid my house of the insects and find them new homes where I think they may be happy. And I am more peaceful.

corrine
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by danieLion »

thanks santa100 for this:
santa100 wrote:This site might have some useful info..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_repellent_plants" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and thanks a_human_being for posting this

and thanks Ben and Tilt for your helpful comments.
Spiny Norman
Posts: 10184
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:32 am
Location: Andromeda looks nice

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by Spiny Norman »

daverupa wrote:So, why is it that "I can't just sit and watch" this natural drama? Are there others in the household who reject this approach?
I distract my spiders by turning on the TV, they are mesmerised by it and sit quietly...me too! :tongue:
Buddha save me from new-agers!
User avatar
marc108
Posts: 463
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:10 pm

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by marc108 »

re: ant

where i used to live, we had carpenter ants that we couldnt keep from coming in the house no matter what we tried. someone eventually told me to try peppermint oil, and it works great. i believe it somehow disrupts their chemical messaging system and they wont go anywhere near it. get some good peppermint essential oil and mix it (very strong mix) with water in a spray bottle, spray around all the cracks in your doors, windows (inside and out), inside your cabinets and anywhere else they get into. you may have to respray once a week or more, but it works and it doesnt harm them.
"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by danieLion »

Thanks marc,
Going to get some today. Got a good feeling about it, too.
Best,
Daniel
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by danieLion »

marc108 wrote:re: ant

where i used to live, we had carpenter ants that we couldnt keep from coming in the house no matter what we tried. someone eventually told me to try peppermint oil, and it works great. i believe it somehow disrupts their chemical messaging system and they wont go anywhere near it. get some good peppermint essential oil and mix it (very strong mix) with water in a spray bottle, spray around all the cracks in your doors, windows (inside and out), inside your cabinets and anywhere else they get into. you may have to respray once a week or more, but it works and it doesnt harm them.
Hi marc,
How long does it usually take to work? I even went so far as to put an undiluted line around the kitchen counters and stove top but they still appear to be scavenging. They might be acting confused but my sociobiology/natural historian skills are minimal.
Best,
Daniel
User avatar
NoMoreSnoozeBar
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 10:01 pm
Location: Virginia, USA

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by NoMoreSnoozeBar »

I was very glad to see this topic. This is one area that I struggle with finding balance in. I have committed to trying to minimize harming insects that find their ways into my home. I try to capture them and return them outdoors as often as possible. My biggest current problem that I struggle with are flies. I have somehow acquired a big gnat/fruit fly problem, for which I am trying to eliminate any breeding grounds I have in my house. I find the gnats to at times be very annoying, bit they don't concern me terribly so I am generally okay letting them be. House flies, on the other hand, cause me a big problem when they get into my home.

Gnats and most other insects I see as nuisances only as far as I let them bother me. House flies, I see as a genuine threat. I am aware that most of this threat is hyped up in my mind, but my Biology education has made me a bit of a germophobe. This added to an experience as a child in which I saw flies and fly larvae kill and cause great suffering to a puppy makes me unable to cope with house flies in my house and near my and my family and our food. Given the near impossibility of catching and releasing house flies, I struggle with this.

I am new to my study and practice, so I don't have a full picture, but my intention when killing house flies is not to destroy them. I guess I justify this because of my perception of them as a real and present threat to the health and safety of myself and my family. I know that I have an exaggerated view of this threat, but it isn't completely exaggerated as it is a real health threat.

I suppose I am rambling a bit, but I am interested in comments fromthe perspective of this post.

Thank you all!

Be well!
Metta,

~Chris

:anjali:

Hitting the snooze bar of life may seem easier, but practicing toward awakening is a much better idea.

:thumbsup:
User avatar
Ben
Posts: 18438
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: How to deal with "pest"/insects in your home?

Post by Ben »

Greetings Libertus,

Have you fly screens installed on your doors and windows?
kind regards,

Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
Post Reply